In planning this webquest we considered the following...
Target Learners and Year Level
This webquest was developed to explore and further students understandings of the Melbourne Zoo, childrens literature and cultural diversity. This webquest will be suited for students at VELS Level 3 - Year 3 and 4.
Notes for teaching this unit
When teaching this unit, teachers need to be aware of cultural differences within the students. The teacher is to divide the students into groups with mixed abilities, this will allow students to assist one another in completing their tasks. Resources and activities in this webquest can be further developed for more advanced students or simplified for students at lower levels. This webquest promotes basic understandings on the topics of Melbourne Zoo, childrens literature and cultural diversity and would benefit from further developing these topics during lessons. This webquest should take between 6 and 8 weeks, whilst having 2 lessons a day on the webquest, however teachers know there students best and can edit this time frame based on students abilities.
Here are some early finisher activities that we found for the students, we though it best to be included here, so teachers can give these out at there own discretion:
Students are assessed on the rubrics located in the evaluation link. The students are assessed on a scale showing there developmental stage.
Evaluation
Students can be evaluated continuously through out the completion of this webquest. Students need to finish their tasks before they can move on to early finisher tasks. Teachers can evaluate how students work in groups and individually, and also how well they complete tasks.
Resources
The resources used are the same as in the resources link.
Photos for this webquest were taken by the authors.
VELS
The Arts
Progression Point 2.25
Creating and Making
awareness of ways performing or visual skills or techniques observed in other people’s arts works could be used to communicate their own experiences and feelings
experimentation with different combination of media, materials, equipment and/or technologies to create arts works that suit a chosen purpose
Exploring and responding
contribution to discussion about the cultural and historical contexts of their own and other people’s arts works
Civics and Citizenship
Progression Point 2.25
Civic knowledge and understanding
identification of similarities and differences among familiar groups
Community engagement
identification of ways of caring for the natural and built environment
Progression Point 2.5
Civic knowledge and understanding
understanding of cultural aspects of the lives of people in familiar groups
Community engagement
participation in group planning for caring for the natural and/or built environment in their local area
Communication
Learning focus
Students explore a range of aural, written and visual communication forms such as the Internet, film, texts and music which illustrate a variety of perspectives on a range of topics and ideas. They learn how to identify the main message, develop their own interpretation, and provide evidence to support it. They explore reasons for other interpretations not being the same as theirs and learn to respect the right of others to express opinions.
During both formal and informal presentations, students explore the use of a range of verbal and non-verbal strategies, to enhance meaning and to engage their audience.
Design, Creativity and Technology
Progression Point 2.25
Investigating and designing
imaginative ideas, shown through labeled sketches and oral description (with significant teacher prompting) in response to a simple design brief
Analyzing and evaluating
understanding of how their product/system meets a particular requirement of the design brief, for example, through oral description
Progression Point 2.5
Investigating and designing
with a team, generation of imaginative ideas in response to a design brief
communication of design ideas using labeled sketches and experimental models, and oral explanations when prompted
Progression Point 2.75
Investigating and designing
communication of design ideas using words, labeled sketches, models, and oral and/or written clarification when asked
English
Progression Point 2.25
Reading
comprehension of ideas in informative and imaginative texts
Writing
composition of short, sequenced factual and imaginative texts in print and electronic forms
related ideas, linked in sequence, to convey meaning to known audiences
effective vocabulary to convey meaning, including nouns, verbs and adjectives
Speaking and listening
clear speech in informal and classroom situations
attentive listening to others in individual and group contexts
Progression Point 2.5
Reading
understanding of main ideas in a range of informative and imaginative texts
comparison of information presented in different texts about the same topic
Writing
composition of short texts of more than one paragraph to describe experiences, tell a story, express a point of view
development of character, setting and plot in short narrative texts
Speaking and listening
participation for extended periods in small group situations
adjustments of tone, volume and pace of their speech in order to communicate clearly
Progression Point 2.75
Writing
composition of texts for different purposes; for example, to narrate, inform, describe, present a point of view or explain
combination of written and visual elements in print and electronic texts
Speaking and listening
preparation and delivery of short explanations and reports to peers on topics of interest
communication of relevant information and responses to questions when speaking to others in a range of familiar contexts
Health and Physical Education
Progression Point 2.25
Health knowledge and Promotion
identification of their own healthy eating habits
The Humanities
Progression Point 2.25
Humanities knowledge and understanding
identification of different cultural groups represented in their class and community
Progression Point 2.5
Humanities knowledge and understanding
identification of some similarities and differences such as foods, language, religion amongst cultural groups represented in their class and community
Humanities skills
recognition of simple patterns taken from observations of maps, including atlas maps, and a range of images
Information and Communication Technology
Progression Point 2.25
ICT for visualising thinking
saving and retrieval of nominated visualising thinking files, and the use of editing techniques such as deleting and copying to modify these for use in new but similar learning situations
ICT for creating
creation of information products for a specific audience or purpose, following given layouts
Progression point 2.5
ICT for visualising thinking
logical sequencing of ideas, using basic editing software, such as concept mapping tools, and other graphic organiser templates selected from a given list, and a range of manipulation techniques
Progression point 2.75
ICT for visualising thinking
organisation of ideas using familiar software and graphic organiser templates selected from a collaboratively developed list (for example, Venn diagrams and sequence charts) and a range of manipulation techniques
ICT for communicating
location of websites using a nominated search engine, such as AskJeeves for Kids, and keywords selected from a class-developed list
Interpersonal Development
Progression Point 2.25
Building social relationships
inclusive behaviour that recognises similarities and acknowledges difference
recognition of the attitudes and behaviours that might cause conflict between peers
Working in teams
recognition of the right of all team members to participate and feel accepted as a part of that group
awareness of the team goals
understanding of the need to allocate roles
Progression Point 2.5
Building social relationships
awareness of the need to consider the feelings and opinions of others
Working in teams
effective communication skills when sharing information among team members
understanding of task guidelines and roles to be performed to achieve team goals
Progression Point 2.75
Building social relationships
use of strategies for adapting their behaviour in response to the needs of others
Working in teams
support of other team members and positive response to support offered by others
planning of tasks to achieve team goals
Mathematics
Progression Point 2.25
Number
use of place value (as the idea that ‘ten of these is one of those’) to determine the size and order of whole numbers to hundreds
Space
use of a grid to refer to objects on a map
Structure
use of lists, Venn diagrams and grids to record items that have a certain attribute
Progression Point 2.5
Space
orientation of north, south, east and west from their own current position
Measurement, chance and data
estimation and measurement of mass, volume and capacity of common objects
Personal learning
Progression Point 2.25
The individual learner
with teacher direction, use of prior knowledge as an important source for learning
preparation for learning
Progression Point 2.5
The individual learner
with teacher guidance, gathering of information and knowledge from a variety of sources
use of questioning to clarify meaning
Progression Point 2.75
The individual learner
use of strategies for linking prior knowledge with learning
interest in the feelings, needs, ideas and opinions of others
Science
Progression Point 2.5
Science knowledge and understanding
sorting of materials using basic criteria such as size, shape, colour and weight, and awareness that different criteria will result in different groupings
Thinking Processes
Progression Point 2.5
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
consideration about where to begin to collect information to answer their own questions
awareness of the difference between fiction and non-fiction sources
use of simple thinking strategies for organising information and concepts
Progression Point 2.75
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
with teacher guidance, collection of information from a range of sources to answer their own and others’ questions
Creativity
generation of creative possibilities around a topic
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this webquest students will have developed a deeper understanding of Zoo animals, the countries they come from, and the culture of that country.Students will also understand the needs of humans and animals for survival (e.g. food and shelter).Students will also have an increased knowledge of childrens literature that include animals as well as a greater understanding of ICT.
In planning this webquest we considered the following...
Target Learners and Year Level
This webquest was developed to explore and further students understandings of the Melbourne Zoo, childrens literature and cultural diversity. This webquest will be suited for students at VELS Level 3 - Year 3 and 4.
Notes for teaching this unit
When teaching this unit, teachers need to be aware of cultural differences within the students. The teacher is to divide the students into groups with mixed abilities, this will allow students to assist one another in completing their tasks. Resources and activities in this webquest can be further developed for more advanced students or simplified for students at lower levels. This webquest promotes basic understandings on the topics of Melbourne Zoo, childrens literature and cultural diversity and would benefit from further developing these topics during lessons. This webquest should take between 6 and 8 weeks, whilst having 2 lessons a day on the webquest, however teachers know there students best and can edit this time frame based on students abilities.
Here are some early finisher activities that we found for the students, we though it best to be included here, so teachers can give these out at there own discretion:
Animal Fingerprinting
Zoo Break Out
Scavenger hunt
Build your wild self
Assessment
Students are assessed on the rubrics located in the evaluation link. The students are assessed on a scale showing there developmental stage.
Evaluation
Students can be evaluated continuously through out the completion of this webquest. Students need to finish their tasks before they can move on to early finisher tasks. Teachers can evaluate how students work in groups and individually, and also how well they complete tasks.
Resources
The resources used are the same as in the resources link.
VELS website - http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/index.html
Zoos Victoria - http://www.zoo.org.au/
Rubric - http://teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/general
Class room resources - http://www.swbg-animals.org/just-for-teachers/classroom-activities/index.htm
Class room activities based on Australian Culture - http://www.anzacday.org.au/education/activities/activities01.html
Credits
Photos for this webquest were taken by the authors.
VELS
The Arts
Progression Point 2.25
Creating and Making
awareness of ways performing or visual skills or techniques observed in other people’s arts works could be used to communicate their own experiences and feelings
experimentation with different combination of media, materials, equipment and/or technologies to create arts works that suit a chosen purpose
Exploring and responding
contribution to discussion about the cultural and historical contexts of their own and other people’s arts works
Civics and Citizenship
Progression Point 2.25
Civic knowledge and understanding
identification of similarities and differences among familiar groups
Community engagement
identification of ways of caring for the natural and built environment
Progression Point 2.5
Civic knowledge and understanding
understanding of cultural aspects of the lives of people in familiar groups
Community engagement
participation in group planning for caring for the natural and/or built environment in their local area
Communication
Learning focus
Students explore a range of aural, written and visual communication forms such as the Internet, film, texts and music which illustrate a variety of perspectives on a range of topics and ideas. They learn how to identify the main message, develop their own interpretation, and provide evidence to support it. They explore reasons for other interpretations not being the same as theirs and learn to respect the right of others to express opinions.
During both formal and informal presentations, students explore the use of a range of verbal and non-verbal strategies, to enhance meaning and to engage their audience.
Design, Creativity and Technology
Progression Point 2.25
Investigating and designing
imaginative ideas, shown through labeled sketches and oral description (with significant teacher prompting) in response to a simple design brief
Analyzing and evaluating
understanding of how their product/system meets a particular requirement of the design brief, for example, through oral description
Progression Point 2.5
Investigating and designing
with a team, generation of imaginative ideas in response to a design brief
communication of design ideas using labeled sketches and experimental models, and oral explanations when prompted
Progression Point 2.75
Investigating and designing
communication of design ideas using words, labeled sketches, models, and oral and/or written clarification when asked
English
Progression Point 2.25
Reading
comprehension of ideas in informative and imaginative texts
Writing
composition of short, sequenced factual and imaginative texts in print and electronic forms
related ideas, linked in sequence, to convey meaning to known audiences
effective vocabulary to convey meaning, including nouns, verbs and adjectives
Speaking and listening
clear speech in informal and classroom situations
attentive listening to others in individual and group contexts
Progression Point 2.5
Reading
understanding of main ideas in a range of informative and imaginative texts
comparison of information presented in different texts about the same topic
Writing
composition of short texts of more than one paragraph to describe experiences, tell a story, express a point of view
development of character, setting and plot in short narrative texts
Speaking and listening
participation for extended periods in small group situations
adjustments of tone, volume and pace of their speech in order to communicate clearly
Progression Point 2.75
Writing
composition of texts for different purposes; for example, to narrate, inform, describe, present a point of view or explain
combination of written and visual elements in print and electronic texts
Speaking and listening
preparation and delivery of short explanations and reports to peers on topics of interest
communication of relevant information and responses to questions when speaking to others in a range of familiar contexts
Health and Physical Education
Progression Point 2.25
Health knowledge and Promotion
identification of their own healthy eating habits
The Humanities
Progression Point 2.25
Humanities knowledge and understanding
identification of different cultural groups represented in their class and community
Progression Point 2.5
Humanities knowledge and understanding
identification of some similarities and differences such as foods, language, religion amongst cultural groups represented in their class and community
Humanities skills
recognition of simple patterns taken from observations of maps, including atlas maps, and a range of images
Information and Communication Technology
Progression Point 2.25
ICT for visualising thinking
saving and retrieval of nominated visualising thinking files, and the use of editing techniques such as deleting and copying to modify these for use in new but similar learning situations
ICT for creating
creation of information products for a specific audience or purpose, following given layouts
Progression point 2.5
ICT for visualising thinking
logical sequencing of ideas, using basic editing software, such as concept mapping tools, and other graphic organiser templates selected from a given list, and a range of manipulation techniques
Progression point 2.75
ICT for visualising thinking
organisation of ideas using familiar software and graphic organiser templates selected from a collaboratively developed list (for example, Venn diagrams and sequence charts) and a range of manipulation techniques
ICT for communicating
location of websites using a nominated search engine, such as AskJeeves for Kids, and keywords selected from a class-developed list
Interpersonal Development
Progression Point 2.25
Building social relationships
inclusive behaviour that recognises similarities and acknowledges difference
recognition of the attitudes and behaviours that might cause conflict between peers
Working in teams
recognition of the right of all team members to participate and feel accepted as a part of that group
awareness of the team goals
understanding of the need to allocate roles
Progression Point 2.5
Building social relationships
awareness of the need to consider the feelings and opinions of others
Working in teams
effective communication skills when sharing information among team members
understanding of task guidelines and roles to be performed to achieve team goals
Progression Point 2.75
Building social relationships
use of strategies for adapting their behaviour in response to the needs of others
Working in teams
support of other team members and positive response to support offered by others
planning of tasks to achieve team goals
Mathematics
Progression Point 2.25
Number
use of place value (as the idea that ‘ten of these is one of those’) to determine the size and order of whole numbers to hundreds
Space
use of a grid to refer to objects on a map
Structure
use of lists, Venn diagrams and grids to record items that have a certain attribute
Progression Point 2.5
Space
orientation of north, south, east and west from their own current position
Measurement, chance and data
estimation and measurement of mass, volume and capacity of common objects
Personal learning
Progression Point 2.25
The individual learner
with teacher direction, use of prior knowledge as an important source for learning
preparation for learning
Progression Point 2.5
The individual learner
with teacher guidance, gathering of information and knowledge from a variety of sources
use of questioning to clarify meaning
Progression Point 2.75
The individual learner
use of strategies for linking prior knowledge with learning
interest in the feelings, needs, ideas and opinions of others
Science
Progression Point 2.5
Science knowledge and understanding
sorting of materials using basic criteria such as size, shape, colour and weight, and awareness that different criteria will result in different groupings
Thinking Processes
Progression Point 2.5
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
consideration about where to begin to collect information to answer their own questions
awareness of the difference between fiction and non-fiction sources
use of simple thinking strategies for organising information and concepts
Progression Point 2.75
Reasoning, processing and inquiry
with teacher guidance, collection of information from a range of sources to answer their own and others’ questions
Creativity
generation of creative possibilities around a topic
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this webquest students will have developed a deeper understanding of Zoo animals, the countries they come from, and the culture of that country.Students will also understand the needs of humans and animals for survival (e.g. food and shelter).Students will also have an increased knowledge of childrens literature that include animals as well as a greater understanding of ICT.